Metallic resilient wheel.



T. HnUo'ULTBR. METALLIC REsILn-:NT WHEEL. PBLIOATIGN FILED AUG. 7; 1911.

1,037,446, Patented sept. 3,1912.

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UNITE ,.LSITAis IATENT, onirica.

THOMAS n. ocurran, or CLEVELAND, onrogassrenon or ONE-HALF .To come T.

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Specicatioin of 1".etters Patent. application inea August 7, 1911. serial Na 642,686.

. To all/whom t may/concern Be it known that I, THOMAS H: Coumvnii, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cleveland `in the county. of Cuyahoga and State ot Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Metallic Resilient Wheels, of which I hereby declare the following to be a vfull, clear, and. exact descriptiom such as willv enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The objects of the invention are to provide resilient means for securing the metallic spokes of an automobile or other wheel employed in the running gear cfay motor vehicle upon the hub so that the 'spokeswill' l yield laterally .at the hub and also to emthe accompanying drawings and specifically ploy spokes capable of bendinglaterally to form a resilient-support for the hub.'

- The inventionalso includes a separable form of hub, one portion sleeved lover another and a coiled spring thereon adapted to retain the hub sections closely together against the pressure of the spokes. An air cushion is also provided to prevent the hub sections from striking against each other' violently when the pressure isrelease'd.

The invention comprises the combination and arrangement of parts and construction of details, hereinafter described, shown in pointed out in the claims. 1

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevationof the wheel; Fig. 2 is an edge elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is an en larged longitudinal central section of t-he hub showing the contracting spring and the pneumatic chamber. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the rim and tire, and Fig. 5 is a Igrarlisverse section of the axle showing the ra te.

In these views 1 is the axle of the wheel,

' 2 and 3 are the hub sections, the inner ends of which overlap and are slidingly movable in -a longitudinal direction upon the axle, their movements being limited by the inner shoulder 4, on the axle, and the outer ring 5 secured upon the outer end thereof. A spline 6 prevents the rotation of the wheel ywhen the axle is employed for a driving axle. The outer clamping or cap nut 7 completes the construction of this part.

8, 8 are the spokes preferably formed of band steel and while rigid enough to sustain`the load upon the Wheel,are flexible enough in one directionythat is longitudmal of the axis, to yieldunder the load suiiic'iently to rotect the engine and transmission gearA rom excessive vibration and to cushion the car for ease `in riding. The outer ends of the spokes Vare pivotally at- .taclied att), 9 to the rim 10 and the spokes are preferably varral'iged in pairs the spokes 1n each pair crossing each othernear thevrassurentv sept. 3. 191e.

hub, and their inner' ends are pivotally atftached at 1l, 11 to the flanges 1Q, 12 on the respective hub sections@l and 3. The rim' `10 may be divided between as man of theV 'spokes Ias may be desired, so that th be permitted to spread apart slightly at their outer ends to facilitate the .outward :spreading of the spokes.; When divided1 in t 1s manner' the ends of the sections overey will lap at 13, 13 and are slidinglyfsecured tc gether by means of pins or rivets 14,' 14;k in the short slots 15, 15. Upon. the recessed faces of the rim lsections is secured the rub` ber tread 'R. Upon the divided hub. is sleeved acontractile spring 16 the extremities of which are attached at O to the' flanges '12, 12 of the respective hub sections. The action of the spring is always to tend to draw the `hub sections yclosely to gether against the spreading action of the spckesa d serves to control the amountfof resilienc of the wheel .since a spring of anyl desired strength .can be employed, and the relation between. the amount of resiliency of the spokes and that of the spring can be worked out to accommodate the load the wheel is designed to carry. The cushion formed by compressed air is formed at 17 between the reduced inner endof-thepart 2 of the sleeve, and-the shoulder formed at the inner'end of the part 3 which telescopes over the other portion. A small hole 18 permits the air to gradually escape but not quickly enough to prevent 'the elastic pressure from the compressed air.,

In Fig. 3 is shown a brake attachment :l -adapted foruse on one of Ythe rearfa es. if

Here A is a part ofthe frame, B is an annular projection from the innerfend of the inner hub section. C isf-(strap brake slidingly mounted upon a rod vD which is preferably secured in the frame at Esparallel with the axle 1. The strap brake is operated by means of the lever F secured to the ends of the strap at G, G in the usual manner, and provided with an operating rod H. En use the brake is friet-ionh ally engaged with the projection B and moves With it sliding upon the rod D.

Having described the invention what yl claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a resilient metal Wheel, the combination with an axial member, of flanged overlapping hub sections longitudinally movable on said axial member, a retractile coiled spring connecting said flanged hub sections and adapted to tend to draw them together, a Wheel rim, and crossed spokes secured to said flanged hub sections, and to said rim, said rim divided between some of said spokes.

2. The combination in a metallic resilient wheel for a Vehicle of a sectional rim7 the sections thereof slidable on each other, a hub formed in overlapping sections slidable on each other, each hub provided With a flange on its outer end, a contractile spring over the hub, adapted to tend to draw the sections together fielding soolres.

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tending to drav,7 said sections together., and resilient spokes, pivoted to said hub sections, saidespokes arranged in pairs, and crossing each other and the outer ends of two pairs of spokes pvoted in adjoining rim sections.

4. The combination in a metallic resilient Wheel for a vehicle of a sectional rim. the sections thereof having overlapping ends slidable on each other, an axle, a hub formed in overlapping sections, each section provided with a. flange, the said sections shouldered at adjacent endet-0 form an air chamber about said axle, the outer hub section perforated for air admission. a Series of crossed spokes pivoted to said flanges, and the spokes of two pairs pivoted to adjoining rim sect-ions, means for securing Said hub sections elast-ically together, and means for securing said rim sections slidably together.

5. The' combination in a metallic resilient wheel for a vehicle, or' an arde3 hub eeetions slidingly movable on said axle and section sleeved over the other section and forraing an air chamber therebetween, the outer section perforated for communication be- ,tween said air chamber and the outer air,

resilient means tending to dranv said seetions together, resilient spokes secured to the outer edges of said hub sections. and a` metallic rim to which the outer ends of the spokes are sleeved.

In testimony whereof, l hereunto set my hand this 5th clay of July 1911.

THOMAS H. COULTER. ln presence of WM. M. Mormon7 l?. Baron. 

